India sent a fourth C-17 aircraft to Colombo with Bailey Bridge units, 55 tonnes of equipment, a JCB, and 13 engineer personnel to support ongoing relief efforts under Operation Sagar Bandhu, according to MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
In view of the widespread disruptions that travellers across India are currently experiencing, Air India and Air India Express announced a series of proactive measures to help those stranded reach their destinations.
According to airport data accessed on Saturday, several major hubs reported significant cancellations by IndiGo. Hyderabad Airport recorded 69 planned cancellations, including 26 arrivals and 43 departures.
Following days of widespread disruptions across its network, IndiGo said on Saturday that it looks to operate over 1500 flights by the end of the day, confirming that there are some "early signs of improvement".
In the wake of recent disruptions, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol on Saturday said that the DGCA has set up a four-member committee to review the operational disruptions in IndiGo Airlines.
The airline added that cancellations have dropped below 850 flights compared to previous days and urged travellers to check the latest flight status online and seek refunds if needed.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu shared on X, announcing strict directives to IndiGo amid widespread cancellations and delays, ordering the airline to clear all pending passenger refunds and complete the entire refund process for cancelled or disrupted flights by 8
"No questions asked. In response to recent events, all refunds for your cancellations will be processed automatically to your original mode of payment," the X post read.
The airline clarified that some expensive multi-stop or mixed-class fares seen on third-party platforms cannot be fully controlled, but it is working with these platforms to address the issue.
IndiGo operations across India remained severely disrupted even on Saturday, with more than 100 flights cancelled, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at airports in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Guwahati, and other cities.